Can anyone help me here? I’m looking for the type of material used on the pants for Enterprise crewmembers in the Original series Star Trek. William Thiess created a very interesting effect that was rarely seen except in closeups. I would like to know the type of fabrics used and most specifically an explanation or description of the ‘glitter effect’. Were these pants first used in the first episode of the series, The Corbomite Maneuver? Ive seen numerous photos of Kirk’s tunics --but none of the pants. Anyone have any detailed photos showing the glitter effect?
Start Here:
http://www.sflovers.org/SFRG/sfrgm.htm
Haven’t a clue what your on about, but WHAT AN AWSOME THREAD TITLE!!
If this doesn’t get about a million hits, I don’t know what will! 
Every have one of those days?
I saw this thread and in the back of my mind I heard:
<Kevin Meaney> “We’re having company and look at you, with your blue jeans on. That’s not right! Get upstairs and get your Star Trek pants on!” </KM>
Yes! You’re on to me Tracey! indeed it was Kevin Meaney’s mother who prompted me to post the question 
I can’t tell you about the pants, but I can tell you what’s under them…
Um, to clarify, musician/actor James Lee Stanley was a regular extra on DS9 both as a Klingon and a Bejoran. In his stage (music) act he shares humorous observations and facts from the rest of his life. He explains that when he created originally, Gene Roddenbury didn’t like “bulges in space.” So Gene created what James refers to as Roddenbury underwear. A hilarious story to hear him tell it…it is basically a tight girdle that spans from the chest area to just above the knee. “And you don’t want to have to take a pee while wearing them,” he chuckles.
Just a weird bit of trivia.
I think the material was just a coarse fiber polyester.
Yes thats how it appeared --except that closeups of the pants reveal a distinctive “glitter effect” it seems to be made from tiny refective things actually embedded into the material that you site! Im not knowledeable about the subject–hoping that someone who knows more can enlighten me.
A few years ago, I had in my possession one of the original costumes made of the same material, Captain Pike’s excursion jacket from the original Star Trek pilot. You can see the glitter effect here:
http://www.jeffreyhuntermovies.com/images/ST3bluehi.jpg
But it was nylon, and after 35 years, what was once a blue jacket was turning into a dull black powder literally as I held it.
I figured it out: the thread title is a Jeopardy answer.
The question is “What does Captain Kirk drop on a moment’s notice?”
Now I’ll take “Potent Potables” for $400, Alex.